Tess: The Loyal Anchor in a Desert of Lies

Overview

Tess enters the story as Hannah’s steadfast best friend, the person who refuses to let Hannah sink further into grief. She is the one who forces Hannah out of her isolated apartment, orchestrates the birthday dinner, and presents the Avidya retreat invitation. Throughout the novel, Tess embodies loyalty, emotional clarity, and a growing determination to uncover the truth. While she begins as a supportive presence, her arc transforms her into a key investigator — and ultimately a survivor — alongside Hannah. Her character serves as both an emotional anchor and a moral compass, challenging Hannah’s self-destructive patterns while holding her own secrets.

Plot Role

Tess is introduced in Chapter 2 via a birthday text, then appears in person in Chapter 4 to confront Hannah about her isolation. She persuades Hannah to attend the Avidya retreat, believing the holistic weekend will help her friend heal. Once at the retreat, Tess participates in the group activities but remains a grounded voice, often questioning Pax’s methods and defending Hannah when others dismiss her concerns. She is the first to discover the hidden camera in her yurt (Chapter 33), which shifts her suspicion from supernatural to man-made. Tess survives a stabbing by Hannah (Chapter 36) and a gunshot from Grady (Chapter 37), ultimately helping to defeat the real killer and escaping the desert. Her plot role is that of the faithful friend who refuses to abandon Hannah even when their friendship fractures.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Tess’s primary motivation is protecting Hannah and preserving their friendship. She demonstrates unwavering loyalty by inviting Hannah to the retreat despite knowing her friend’s resistance. In Chapter 11, when a rattlesnake surprises Tess in the outhouse, she leaps into Hannah’s arms, but she recovers quickly and laughs at Jared’s inappropriate joke — a sign of resilience. Her sharp wit and directness surface when she retorts to Jared’s homophobic humor, defending herself without hesitation. Tess values platonic love explicitly; in Chapter 11, she and Hannah bond over the idea that friendship runs deeper than romantic love. Later, when Hannah accuses her of being paranoid, Tess does not waver but instead tries to reason with her. Most revealing is Tess’s willingness to confront hard truths: in Chapter 37, even while bleeding from a stab wound, she points the finger at Grady, identifying him as the true murderer when Hannah cannot see it. Tess’s actions reveal a woman who is emotionally honest, brave, and fiercely protective.

Chronological Arc

• Pre-Retreat: Tess is the concerned friend who reaches out on Hannah’s birthday, drags her to dinner, and convinces her to try the retreat.
• Arrival: Tess chooses the mantra “Connection,” showing her desire to strengthen bonds. She is initially open to Pax’s program but keeps a skeptical eye.
• Mid-Retreat: After Jared and Luna vanish, Tess is the one who calms Hannah’s panic attack (Chapter 31) and goes to find help. She discovers the camera in the rabbit skull, which hardens her suspicion.
• Confrontation: When Hannah returns from finding the car, Tess initially believes Pax runs a social experiment, not a murder plot. They argue, but Tess stays.
• Climax: Tess survives Hannah’s mistaken stab wound and later Grady’s gunshot. In the final confrontation, she uses a lit torch to help Hannah set Grady on fire (Chapter 38).
• Resolution: Tess escapes with Hannah and Kimi, limping away from the retreat as dawn breaks. Her survival underscores her resilience.

Relationships

• With Hannah: Tess and Hannah share a deep platonic bond built on years of friendship. Tess is the one who refuses to let Hannah drown in grief, even when Hannah pushes her away. Their relationship is tested when Hannah accuses Tess of not believing her about Pax, but Tess ultimately proves her loyalty by risking her life to expose Grady.
• With the Group: Tess is cordial but not close to Luna, Miles, or Jared. She corrects Luna’s cultural insensitivity (Chapter 13) and defends Hannah against Jared’s jokes. Her primary allegiance remains with Hannah.
• With Pax: Tess is initially neutral, but she becomes wary after discovering the hidden camera. She never fully trusts Pax, unlike Luna or Miles.
• With Kelsey (ex-girlfriend): Briefly mentioned: Tess argues with Kelsey on the phone in Chapter 5, hinting at an unresolved romantic conflict that adds depth to her character but does not drive the main plot.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Theme and Symbol Connections

• Grief and Survivor’s Guilt: Tess does not suffer from the same guilt as Hannah, but she acts as a counterbalance — showing that grief need not isolate a person. Her presence reminds Hannah that connection can heal.
• Manipulation and Deception: Tess is one of the last to be deceived by Pax and Grady. Her discovery of the hidden camera symbolizes the exposure of the retreat’s false spirituality.
• Reality vs. Hallucination: Tess consistently grounds Hannah in reality. When Hannah believes in Waylon Barlow, Tess asks hard questions. She represents a clear-eyed perspective amid the drug-induced confusion.
• Cultural Appropriation: In Chapter 13, Tess corrects Luna’s insensitive remarks about Indigenous practices. This moment shows Tess’s awareness and respect, contrasting with Pax’s exploitation of Chemehuevi traditions.
• Toxic Masculinity: Tess rejects Jared’s sexist jokes and Miles’s entitled behavior. Her strength in standing up to them reinforces the theme of resisting male dominance.
• Symbol: The Rabbit Skull Camera: Tess finds this hidden camera, a symbol of Pax’s surveillance and the rot beneath the retreat’s peaceful exterior.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Tess invite Hannah to the Avidya retreat?

Tess believes the retreat will help Hannah break free from her grief and reconnect with life. She forces Hannah out of isolation, recognizing that Hannah’s coping mechanisms (Xanax, avoidance) are failing. Tess wants to restore their friendship and give Hannah a chance to heal.

2. How does Tess react when Hannah accuses Pax of drugging the group?

Initially, Tess dismisses Hannah’s claims as paranoia, telling her she is using Pax as a distraction from her own mind (Chapter 25). However, after discovering the hidden camera and the control room, Tess’s perspective shifts. She admits the retreat is a “total fucking ghost town” and agrees they need to escape.

3. What does Tess discover in her yurt that changes her understanding of the retreat?

Tess finds a hidden camera inside a rabbit skull on her bookshelf (Chapter 33). This proves that Pax has been spying on them, contradicting his “unplugged” philosophy. The discovery shifts Tess’s theory from supernatural to man-made conspiracy.

4. How does Tess survive being stabbed by Hannah and shot by Grady?

Hannah stabs Tess in the labyrinth in Chapter 36, mistaking her for the killer. Tess bleeds but remains conscious, later revealing that she survived because the knife missed vital organs. Grady shoots her in Chapter 37, but she still manages to crawl back and confront him with a hatchet. Her resilience is both physical and psychological.

5. What role does Tess play in the final confrontation with Dr. Grady?

Tess arrives with a lit torch, revealing that she is alive despite her wounds. She hands the torch to Hannah, saying the peppermint oil Hannah used to blind Grady is “highly flammable.” Tess’s actions enable Hannah to set Grady on fire, ending the threat. Together with Kimi, Tess escapes in the Marine’s Humvee, proving herself an indispensable ally.